November 22nd is National Housing Day. It is fitting that the Neha review panel has chosen today to announce the opening of its portal for written submissions (and is accepting submissions by email and mail too!). This is a unique opportunity to share your experiences, insights, and perspectives on the fundamental human right to safe, adequate, and affordable housing for women, Two-Spirit, Trans, and gender-diverse people.
The portal will remain open until March 14, 2025, and Neha invites all women, Two-Spirit, Trans, and gender-diverse individuals to participate. Whether you have faced barriers to housing or have solutions to share, your voice matters in shaping the path forward.
If your organization, network or group wants to support the evidence-gathering and recommendations with a submission or report, you can email or mail it to the panel, as well! The evidence-gathering process is open and it will take an active community across Turtle Island to support the evidence-gathering for this review panel!
What is Neha?
“Neha” means “our ways” in Kanien’kehà:ka-Mohawk and represents a space of openness, healing, and collaboration (learn about this beautiful guiding principle in their Terms of Reference). The Neha review panel will examine the right to safe, adequate and affordable housing of women, Two Spirit, Trans, and gender-diverse people, and the government’s duty to uphold this right. Your stories and perspectives are critical in creating actionable solutions to ensure no one is left behind.
Neha’s work is guided by four principles:
1. Vision – refers to the way forward to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to accessing safe, adequate, affordable housing that meets their needs.
2. Knowledge – refers to the wisdom and information that is needed to inform or support this vision.
3. Reason – refers to the rationale for pursuing this vision, especially to uphold Canada’s commitments to national and international housing and human rights.
4. Action – refers to the actions necessary to make this vision a reality.
How to Submit Your Perspective
There are three ways to share your submission:
1. Online Submission
- Complete the online form.
- Please note: The form must be completed and submitted in one sitting, and attachments cannot be uploaded. For those who want to submit an attachment (e.g. Organizations, researchers, etc. who wish to submit reports can do so by email).
2. Email Submission
- Download the form from here.
- Complete it either in the text box provided or as a separate attachment.
- Email your submission to [email protected].
3. Mail Submission
- Download, print, and complete the form.
- Responses can be handwritten or typed.
- Mail your submission to:
National Housing Council Secretariat
180 Kent St, 11th Floor
Ottawa, ON, K1P 0B6
Visit the National Housing Council’s website and learn more about Neha’s submission process.
What to Keep in Mind
- Only one submission per participant is allowed.
- Focus on sharing your personal perspective. Do not submit on behalf of someone else without their permission.
If you have any questions or need assistance, contact the National Housing Council Secretariat at [email protected].
Submission Toolkit
This is why the National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network and Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network created the toolkit, Mobilizing on the Right to Housing for Women and Gender-Diverse People in Canada: A Community Organizer’s Guide. We also created resources, templates, and more to support Neha’s evidence-gathering process.
Our Goals:
- Support lived experts and their allies to participate in the upcoming Review Panel
- Provide practical tools and templates to enable Review Panel participation
- Provide tools and diverse frameworks and mechanisms to enable community organizing on the right to housing
- Democratize knowledge about the right to housing in Canada and how to claim it
There are many ways to work with us, visit genderhousingjustice.ca to learn more. Check out our Resources and FAQ pages. We will be creating more resources while the submission portal is open!
Why Your Voice Matters
Housing is a human right, and many women, Two Spirit, Trans, and gender-diverse people face systemic barriers in accessing safe and affordable housing. By contributing to this dialogue, you are helping to build a collective understanding of these challenges and advancing solutions that uphold dignity and equity for all.
Let’s work together to create a future where everyone has access to a home that meets their needs. Start your submission today and be part of the change!
